We see the work of Samuel Cooper at its best in this ravishing portrait of a lady, who surely must be a noblewoman. He follows the great tradition of English miniature painting established by Hilliard, who with the subtle smile of the sitter reflected in her eyes, and the poise of the head enhanced by the diagonal of the green stole, balanced on the other side by a green tree on rocky ground. The identity remains anonymous because the simple garment and pearls she wears are found in portraits dated from 1647 for two decades and the glimpse of a building in the background defies identification.

Landscape backgrounds are an unusual feature in Cooper's works. Of the five hundred and fifty five works listed by Foster (J.J. Foster, English Miniature Painters of the XVII Century, London, 1914-16, II) only that of Sir Henry Bedingfield has a building in the background. Foskett (D. Foskett, Samuel Cooper and his contemporaries, London, 1974) illustrates a portrait of a man called Inigo Jones which includes a house (no. 57), the lady previously thought to be the Duchess of Cleveland has a landscape background (no. 114), as does the dazzling portrait of Cosimo III de Medici (no. 128).

The overall condition of the miniature is excellent, apart from a
slight restoration to the forehead and the added border